Legacy
by Vaughn
Summary: Sirius is his own worst enemy. SSSB, primarily Sirius' POV. Chapter 4 and Epilogue. Warning: sad, Character Death. COMPLETE.
1. Confusion

A/N: Pre-Slash. First attempt with this pairing, so any feedback is greatly appreciated.

**Legacy**

It never failed. Each and every time Sirius realised that he had made a costly mistake, the same eight words would sound off in his head.

_The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black._

The voice was not always his own.

Sirius was a _bit_ unsettled by it. He could deal with himself saying 'Hey, idiot! Look what you've done _this_ time!', but it was rather disconcerting to hear it from other people. On many occasions, the voice belonged to his dearly departed mother. The woman enjoyed belittling him so much in life that he was not surprised to find that even death could not shut her up. It cut him the most when it came from the voice of a friend. Remus, James, Lily...hell, even Peter had chimed in once or twice in his life. Always with same sodding sentence.

_The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black._

To make matters worse, Sirus had loathed the family 'motto' since he was a child. He couldn't exactly dispute the word 'ancient.' The idea that the House of Black was in any way, shape, or form 'noble' was another matter entirely to the bitter Animagus. He understood one aspect of the meaning behind it. He knew better than anyone that the Black family fortune was vast. To most, this explained the nobility part to some satisfaction. Wealth and nobility generally go hand in hand. Maybe he was just the flip side of the coin in addition to being the black sheep. Nobility brought images of honour and valor to Sirius' mind. Not exactly a fitting description of a family primarily composed of cowardly and dishonest elitists.

Musing over his thoughts with a cup of coffee in a battered mug, he didn't even hear the footsteps cautiously approaching the kitchen.

"You _almost_ look thoughtful, Black. Unfortunately for you, thought is an elusive concept."

Sirius nearly jumped at the sound. He glanced up to see Snape hovering over the kitchen table, keeping his distance.

_Stay cool, Sirius. Don't say a word. Don't give him the satisfaction..._

"Is there a problem, Black? Do I have to bark for you to understand?"

He knew Snape was baiting him on purpose. Perceiving that Sirius was struggling to keep his self control, Snape leaned in until his face was merely inches away.

Ebony eyes sent in a pale face glittered at Sirius' own. He could see the lips were not set in their customary sneer. It almost seemed as if they were slightly pouty. Sirius could feel the tension vibrating between them.

_I could kiss him right now. Just lean in and damn the consequences. Just..._

"What the devil is wrong with you, mongrel? Are you deaf now, in addition to your numerous defects?"

_Do it, Sirius, come on. Snape will probably hex you into next week, but maybe..._

Sirius stared straight into those dark eyes. Searching for some sign, _any_ sign, that something other than hatred lingered there.

"I have lost patience with this childish game of yours, Black. I was sent to inform you that the Headmaster wishes to speak with you as soon as possible. Perhaps you will finally be able to do something for the Order instead of wallowing in your own self pity while the others make _useful _contributions to the cause."

"I don't feel sorry for myself, Snape. If anyone deserves pity, it's you."

_"Really_? How did you arrive at that _brilliant_ observation?"

"You hold grudges like some people wear war medals. Why are you still dwelling on what happened twenty years ago?"

"Who are you to tell me anything, Black?! _You_ still believe that you did nothing wrong. You have never cared about consequences or responsibility for your actions. You never will."

_Listen to me for once in your wretched life, Severus. I could have killed you and ruined Remus' life. I only wanted you to pay attention to me. I didn't know why before. Merlin help me, I do now. _

Try as he might, Sirius could not force his thoughts past his lips. Snape mistook his long silence for agreement. The Potions Master turned and hissed one final sentence as he swept toward the door.

"You will never grow up, will you Black?"

Sirius winced as the door slammed shut. The noise jarred the ever lovely picture of his mum out of her current daze.

"_Filthy traitors in this house! Mudblood lovers here, in the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black_!"

A piercing wail from the kitchen startled the portrait back into silence.


	2. Denial

A/N: First attempt at these two, concrit more than welcome.

It was a strange sort of ritual Sirius adopted since his return from Azkaban. Every morning he would rummage through box upon box filled with relics from his Hogwarts days. Remus had caught him at it once and graced Sirius with his trademark thoughtful look.

"You can't go back, Sirius. None of us can, no matter how much we wish it."

Remus had been convinced that Sirius was longing for the carefree days of his youth. A small part of the Animagus still longed for that gloriously simple time and always would. However, Sirius had been forced to call somewhat of a truce with himself during his stay in Azkaban. He would have gone mad from the grief otherwise. It would have been quite a disappointment for the Dementors...

He doubted he could convince Remus that his reasons were anything else. Everyone assumed that Sirius was the stubborn one. Sirius knew from past experience that attempting to persuade the aging lycanthrope of anything after he had already made up his mind was damn near impossible.

"I don't want to, Remus. I just want to make sure it happened. That it wasn't just a dream."

Remus opened his mouth to say something and then snapped it shut. He was eyeing the battered piece of paper that the Animagus was holding onto for dear life.

"What's that, Sirius? May I have a look?"

Sirius debated for a moment and then handed it over. He felt a little self-conscious. He spent a great deal of time staring at this particular doodle. He just wasn't sure why.

Remus chuckled when he glimpsed the contents of the parchment.

"I remember when you drew this of Snape. It was after you and James hung him up from that tree. You passed this around Charms class for all to see. Severus was furious about it."

Remus studied the crude drawing of a teenaged Snape, naked from the waist down and suspended from an aged oak.

"The anatomy is not quite right, if memory serves me correctly..."

Sirius snatched the parchment back and put forth his best effort at an angry glare.

"I don't know Remy, it's not like I was memorising him, for Merlin's sake!"

Remus sighed and wisely stayed silent as Sirius calmed down. The ex-Professor was keenly aware that he was about to thread into dangerous territory. In his opinion, his old friend was wasting a second chance at his life and he could not let it happen without a fight.

"Look, Padfoot."

Sirius seemed taken aback at the old nickname. At least Moony could be sure he had the Animagus' full attention now.

Pointing at the parchment clutched in Sirius hands, Remus finally said what he had been holding in for almost twenty years.

"This is your problem, right here. You were the one that always wanted to bully Severus, not James. Prongs just thought it was all a game, but you...you took it to the next level. The less response, or should I say, _attention_, you got from Severus; the more you instigated things with him. I think you have some sort of fascination, or crush, or_ something_ with him and you are just too hard headed to admit to it."

"How dare you...Why would I want _him_, of all people! I could have had anyone, Moony, and you know..."

"Yes, yes. I know, Sirius. Nevertheless, you wanted him just the bloody same. That's why you attacked him so much; it wasn't as if he was the easiest target. He knew more dangerous spells than half the school put together. If he didn't remind you so much of the family you spent your whole life trying to escape, you would have made a move on him all those years ago. You nearly got him killed over this."

"Not this again!" Sirius groaned loudly. "I've told you and everyone else a million times that I didn't want to hurt him! I just wanted to scare him a little! I wasn't thinking..."

Remus lunged forward with no warning and ripped the drawing from Sirius' hands. Holding it up in plain sight, he fixed his amber eyes dead set on Sirius' own.

"No, you weren't, were you Padfoot? That's the problem, Sirius! Don't you see? You fail to see Severus as more than a caricature. In your eyes, he is an eternal and omnipresent sketch of a person. Believe it or not, Severus is an _actual_ person. He won't be here forever, and with the rise of You-Know-Who, time may be very short for us all. I suggest you let go of your preconceived notions of the world and grow up, Sirius. Before it's too late."

Remus had turned and left of the room before Sirius could even form a response. He began to mentally list all the things he would say to Remus the next time he came to visit.

_Of all the ridiculous things...Snape, you've got to be joking...Greasy haired, ugly, hooked nose git..._

The knowing look Remus gave him at the next Order meeting when he failed to bring up their prior conversation nearly drove him insane. Luckily, Snape was detained and was not present or Sirius would have been sent back to Azkaban for the murder of one middle-aged werewolf.

There was nothing for Sirius to do most of the time _but_ think in his private prison. Unfortunately for him, the more he thought, the more he wondered if there was not a hint of truth to what his oldest friend had said. A small voice in the back of Sirius head began to insist he try to talk to Snape. The more he ignored it, the more annoying it became.

_All right, all right, I'll do it. I'll talk to him. If nothing, at least I can prove Remus wrong for once. Remus had to wrong about this, doesn't he?_

For once in his life, he wasn't so sure...

Sirius nervously awaited the Potions Master's arrival. Snape had come early to the last few Order meetings, sulking in the shadows until the others began to appear. As each minute passed, Sirius felt his resolve to make things civil between the two begin to fade. The telltale creaking of the door and barely perceptible footsteps headed in the direction of the kitchen made Sirius heart race. He dared to glance up and found himself staring directly into coal black eyes-a deviation from the usual routine of reading the Prophet and acting like the other man didn't exist.

"Do you have some sort of problem, Black?"

_Amazing. He can sound exactly like a snake _without_ speaking in Parseltongue. Come on, Sirius . Enough stalling already…it's time to lay your cards out on the table._

"I would like to have a word with you, Snape. Preferably without us hexing each other into oblivion."

"If this is about your godson, I assure you..."

Sirius quickly raised up his hands in the universal gesture of defeat.

"No, no, it's not Harry. This is about the two of us."

He paused briefly to see if the Slytherin would allow him to continue. A slight nod of the head was all the encouragement Sirius expected to get. He took a deep breath and hoped he sounded as sincere as he felt.

"Look, I was...when we were young, I was kind of impulsive, I guess. I'm trying to say that...I...."

_Great, I've become a babbling idiot. Way to go, Sirius. He'll love that…_

"I do not wish to spend the remainder of my existence standing in your kitchen, Black."

"I'm sorry, all right? You don't believe me, do you? I can see it all over your face. Do it, then."

When Snape raised a questioning eyebrow at this, Sirius decided he was in too deep to back out now.

"You're a trained Occulmens, right? Go on in, I won't stop you. See if I'm lying to you or hiding anything."

Sirus counted the seconds as they ticked by to keep him from going mad at the absence of sound. He thought he felt an unfamiliar presence brush against his mind for a moment. The odd sensation passed so quickly that he dismissed it as pure imagination.

"Very well then, Black. Consider your apology, as poorly articulated as it was, accepted."

A thousand things flooded through the Animagus' mind at these words. What came out of his mouth next was a surprise even to him.

"You know, you can call me Sirius."

A grimace seized Snape's face, and Sirius felt his small victory dissipate until he noticed that the Syltherin's slender hand was clutching at his forearm.

"Please tell Albus that I had urgent business to attend to and that I will speak with him as soon as possible."

Snape gilded toward the door, but paused for a brief moment and regarded Sirius with something that bore a vague resemblance to a smile.

"Until next time, Sirius."

The battered door groaned in protest as Snape made his way into the night. An old structure such as 12 Grimmauld Place was an ideal place for an echo effect. Snape was certain he heard a raspy whisper follow him out into the cold.

"Good night, Severus."

A great deal of arguments (sprinkled with the occasional civil conversation) later, and Sirius found himself able to call Severus a friend.

The entire Order-with the noted exception of Alastor, of course-was quite pleased at the turnabout. Molly Weasley had even taken him aside to thank him for putting old grudges to rest in the name of the Order. Only Remus seemed to have a different opinion about it, but he kept that to himself. Everything was perfect, with the exception of one tiny thing.

Remus, his most trusted friend, was correct.

The more time Sirius spent with him, the more he noticed the attraction he harbored. He was positive Severus felt it, too. However, all the Veritaserum in the world wouldn't pry it out of the Potions Master.

In the end, Sirius elected to channel his inner Slytherin. Fight fire with fire, so to speak.

Sirius took Severus aside right before the commencement of a meeting and asked him to remain behind after the others had left. He used the pretense that it was extremely urgent to ensure that Severus would agree. Sirius nearly threw everyone out of the house after the meeting was over. He thanked Merlin that Severus failed to notice the pleased look from Dumbledore Sirius received when he was shooing the other Order members out the door.

He led Severus to a comfortable sitting room located in one of the unused wings he cleaned the day before. A bottle of Firewhiskey, two glasses, and an antique chess set that was a Black family heirloom adorned a polished table set in the middle of the room.

Sirius had to choke back his laughter at the incredulous face staring back at him.

"This is what is so important, Sirius? Has anyone ever talked to you about your priorities in life?"

"Many times, Severus. I just choose not to listen. Come on, just one game. My brain has been wasting away since I've been stuck here day and night."

"It was already wasted long before...oh, bloody hell. It will be far easier to placate you rather than argue about it half of the night."

"So you have learned a few things in your old age. Prepare to be trounced, Severus."

"By a Gryffindor? Never."

It was about halfway through the game when Sirius recalled that Severus had been a chess champion at school, and rightfully so.

As Severus pondered his next move, he noticed the Animagus was staring at him.

"Could you scream a bit, Sirius? I rather liked those wanted posters..."

"You know your snide remarks don't affect me anymore, Severus."

"I am well aware of that. Where has all the magic gone?"

"You, using a Muggle phrase? I'm speechless over here."

"What in the devil are you babbling on about, Black? I meant my knight. It's no longer moving."

Severus' hand rested on his now still piece. Sirius seized his opportunity and reached for the knight as well, his hand now covering Severus' own.

The Potions Master jerked his hand back as if he had been stung. He quickly stood up and announced that it was late.

"We will have to continue this another time, Sirius."

"Yes, of course. Good night to you, Severus."

"Good night."

As soon as he was alone, Sirius pounded his fist on the table in pure frustration. The disruptive movement caused Severus' knight to look up in annoyance.

"I did what you asked me to. 'Stay silent and don't move' you said, 'Make sure we're about halfway through the game' you said. It's not my fault you scared the poor fellow. 'Tis a shame, he was an excellent chess player."

The other pieces on the board murmured their agreement.

"What do you mean, I scared him? I assumed he just wasn't interested."

"Always the same thing with you humans. You only see the worst when you're not confident of yourselves. I think I can safely speak for _this_ chess set when I say you unnerved the man. He might be interested yet uncertain of your intentions. Have you tried talking to him about it?"

"Do you really think...wait a minute. I'm taking advice from a game. What do you guys know of this sort of thing?"

"Plenty, thank you very much." the knight said, haughtily. He gestured for Sirius to come closer and whispered:

"I've got a thing for your Queen over there." The miniature piece pointed at the Queen at the opposite end of the board, who in turn waved and winked at them both. "She used to completely ignore me, but now we talk all the time."

"How long did it take you to get that far?" Sirius inquired.

"Only five hundred and twenty two years." the knight beamed.

The resounding thud as Sirius' head hit the table caused all the chess pieces to screech at the knight.

"What? What did I say?"


	3. Tradition

**A/N: Thanks to all those who have read/reviewed so far. Acknowledgements for the previous chapters are below; I forgot them last time :(**

**Warning-This is edited to meet the standards at , particularly in the end. To read the NC-17 version of this part, please go my homepage for the link to my LiveJournal.**

"So, you scared him, huh?"

Sirius let out a started yell as Remus' voice cut through his daily routine of trying to remove the paint from his mother's portrait. He had tried everything magical at this point; today he was using some Muggle product that Hermione had suggested.

"What on earth is that smell, Sirius?"

"Turpentine. It's a Muggle paint remover, but so far all it's done is make dear old mum mad."

_"You are a disgrace to the honorable name of Black! You..."_

Sirius raised his voice over his mother's tirade for them to move into the living room.

"What brings you here, Remy?"

"I need a reason to visit an old friend?"

"No, but I'm sure it has something to do with my 'detaining' of Severus a few nights ago."

"Well, I heard you scared the living daylights out of him. I didn't even think that was possible anymore, even for you."

"I didn't mean to...hang on, how do you know about that?"

"Your chessboard volunteered the information. That knight of yours is quite talkative if you ask the right questions."

"I knew that board was nothing but trouble!"

Sirius walked over to the staircase and shouted in the direction of the sitting room.

"ONE MORE STUNT LIKE THIS AND IT'LL BE BACK TO THE ATTIC FOR YOU! I'M WARNING YOU, GUYS!"

Sirius shook his head at the chorus of grumbles in response.

"Mother took that set away from me because it told a guest some rather nasty things she had said about them before they arrived. I should have left it where it was."

"Come on, Sirius. It wasn't their fault. Maybe he thought you were having him on. You two don't have the best history together, you know."

"But we've been honest with each other for months now! He knows I don't have the patience for elaborate pranks; I lose interest too quick."

"True, true...hmm, let me think a moment."

Both men nearly jumped off the settee when the portrait began to screech louder than usual. They grabbed their wands and ran toward the painting as the volume was becoming unbearable.

_"There are rules, Sirius!! RULES!! YOU NEVER CARED FOR RULES!! YOU WERE ALWAYS TOO GOOD TO LISTEN-"_

A quick flick from Sirius' wand silenced the raving woman for the moment. He turned to Remus to apologise for the noise. The Animagus was surprised to see his friend gazing at the portrait, as if deep in thought.

"I know that look, Remus. What? What did I do _now_?"

"I believe the question here may be what you _didn't_ do."

Remus headed back toward the living room with Sirius in his wake. As soon as they were seated, Remus held up his hand for silence. Sirius nodded for him to continue when he was ready.

"Severus and you both have one thing in common, right?"

"We both went to Hogwarts..?"

"No, not that. You're both Purebloods."

"Yeah, that too."

"Well, your mother was talking about some sort of rules."

"She babbles on about a lot of things, Remus."

"I know that, Sirius. I was under the impression that Purebloods are an old-fashioned sort. They have a lot of rules governing social behaviour and such."

"You got that right. You would not believe the stupid, outdated rituals I had to endure while I was growing up."

"That's what I mean, Sirius! There is most likely rules regarding courting, then. Since Severus comes from an old Pureblood family, and takes tradition more seriously than you..."

"You think I insulted him by not following Pureblood courting guidelines?"

"See, you must know of them, then."

"I only had them drilled into my head a million times after I hit puberty. 'A Pureblood wizard must adhere strictly to these rules when courting another otherwise the intention may be misconstrued...blah, blah, blah.."

"You said it yourself right there, Sirius! 'Intentions may be misconstrued'. I'll bet Severus thought you weren't serious; just looking for a quick shag or something. I don't think he's that type.."

"How are you so sure I'm _not_ just looking for a quick shag?"

Remus prattled on as if Sirius had just said something completely idiotic.

"Because you would have gotten that from someone else already. You haven't because _you-fancy-Severus_. And I'm going to help you get him. What are those rules again?"

Sirius admired himself in the mirror of his bedroom. The elegant, midnight blue dress robes really did suit him well. It almost made him forget the fact that he was going to have to act like a dammed fool in front of Severus.

He had to hand it to Remus, though. That man had covered all the bases for him and made certain he had all the rules memorised and everything set up. Remus had even managed to convince Severus to meet with him again.

Now all he had to do was wait.

A loud knock made his heart race. Severus was finally here; he had to get this right. This was his last chance...

Severus swung open the door before Sirius had a chance to respond. He raced down to the dining room.

"Black! Where are you...?" Severus called out.

"Here, Severus! In the dining room."

Severus stormed in and looked prepared to have an all out fit. The Potions Master was quite a sight; one hand high in the air and mouth totally agape at the sight before him.

The long, ebony table had been polished to a high shine. Every single dish Severus was known to enjoy was laid out before him. Remus had brought him a list obtained from the Hogwarts house-elves. Moreover, there was Sirius clad in old-fashioned dress robes and his hair slicked back.

"Black! What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

"Oh, back to my last name are we, Severus....?"

_Sirius-don't forget rule #1-Whatever the courtee desires, so shall it be._

"My sincerest apologies, Severus. As you wish. Please, do have a seat."

Sirius ushered him to his seat before Severus had the chance to protest.

"I still do not know what you are up to, _Sirius_. Would you be so kind....where did you get all this food? I thought that house-elf of yours refused to cook anything decent?"

"I made it all myself, Severus." Sirius beamed.

_Rule #2-Although you will have house-elves and the like at your disposal, you still want to impress as much as possible on this key first date. You should prepare all the food yourself to show your prospective mate that you are resourceful._

Severus was looking at him as if he had suddenly sprouted a third head.

"This is what Lupin thought was urgent! Dinner with a ridiculously costumed fugitive from Azkaban! What is wrong with the two of you, anyways? Do either one of you have a clue as to what is important and what is not?"

"Well, Severus, I consider eating with you important. Might I add you are wearing a lovely robe tonight?"

_Rule #4-Make sure you compliment your date whenever it is apprioriate. Remember, being a Pureblood is not everything...well, it is almost everything! Still, you want to ensure your success by any means necessary!_

"Are you blind, Black? I am wearing a work robe that is currently covered in stains from three mishaps I had today. I have your pet werewolf to blame, he floo-called me every 15 bloody minutes to ensure I was coming here tonight!"

"I will make sure I talk to Remus about that. He will never floo-call you again, I promise..."

_Rule #5-Always be at the ready to defend the honour of your ideal mate._

"All right, Black. I am quite tired of your childish games. I am leaving; please contact me when you have gotten some professional help."

Severus stood up and was half across the room before Sirius remembered Rule #6...

_If things are not going well, remember to thank your date for taking the time to dine with you. This may impress the other party enough to give you another chance; it also serves to keep the families involved civil. Never forget that Purebloods are a special breed of wizard and must work together as such._

"Severus!! SEVERUS!!!" Sirius sounded near panic.

"WHAT!! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME, BLACK!!"

"Thankyoufortakingthetimetodinewithme." Sirius rushed out.

"Thank me for...Oh, no..."

Sirius watched in pure horror as a look of comprehension dawned over Severus' face.

_Well, it can't get any worse, can it?_

Of course, he was wrong _yet _again. Severus bursting out in a seemingly uncontrollable fit of laughter was infinitely worse.

"You....Sirius _me_ with Pureblood traditions, no less!"

Sirius felt like a failure and an utter fool. He couldn't bear to look at Severus any longer, so he pretended to be suddenly interested in the carpet.

He suddenly felt two hands grasp both sides of his face, gently easing his face upward. Severus' face, the one he had dreamed about, was now right in front of his own. Sirius could feel the heat rising up the back of his neck at the unexpected touch.

"You know, Sirius, I was not sure if you were playing an elaborate prank on me or not when you pulled that little stunt with the chess game. But now I am certain.."

Sirius waited miserably for the rejection that was sure to come.

"That you are not.."

Severus leaned in and began to kiss him in a way he'd only imagined before. Reality was much sweeter....

Sirius reached up and entwined his hands in Severus' surprising soft hair for a moment, and then moved one slowly down Severus' chest as if tracing a fine line. Their kisses became more intense; Severus began to moan in that delicious voice of his as Siriusutilized the clothes-removing spell he'd memorised in his school days. He began to kiss every inch of that pale chest.Severus suddenly pulled away, and Sirius could only look at him in confusion.

"Did I do something wrong, Sev? If I did, I'm..."

Severus put a finger to Sirius lips and shook his head. He retrieved his wand from his discarded robe and was fully clothed in the blink of an eye. Sirius watched silently as the other man walked out the door without another word.

Not even goodbye.

About four and a half hours later, one Remus J. Lupin spotted Severus Snape lurking about the school grounds. Unable to ignore his curiosity any longer, he made his way to 12 Grimmauld Place.

What he found there was a naked, drunk, and crying Sirius Black sitting on the dining room floor.

It was going to be a long night...

Lilith11: Thank you! I hope you like..

samson: I really appreciate your feedback, and all your LJ help!

Tasogare no hime: I'm honoured you added my to your fav list;)

CuriousDreamWeaver: My muse humbly thanks you!

maguena1: I am overwhelmed by your kind response, and because you took the time to discuss this story with me. Thanks again fellow GAFFer!; I was really worried about Sirius when I started this.

annakas: I'm thrilled you liked it-I wasn't sure if the chess scene worked or not.

Phantomtale: For someone who usually doesn't go for this pairing to enjoy this is a huge compliment. Thanks you!

Pervert Bitch: Lol! Hi, fellow Snapeslasher waves, Don't worry, Sirius is trying...but will Severus ever let him?


	4. Promises

A/N: This is the final installment of the story. My gratitude to all those who have read and/or provided feedback. Review acknowledgments at the bottom, and many thanks to all those over at SnapeSlash, LiveJournal and GAFF (waves)

Legacy-Part 4 and Epliogue

Sirius was sitting on the floor covered in a blanket Remus had thrown over him. He had ignored Remus' numerous attempts to find out what happened, but the one thing you should never underestimate in Moony was his resourcefulness. Normally, that was a feature that Sirius greatly appreciated in his old friend. That opinion rapidly changed when Remus left the room and emerged ten minutes later carefully holding something in his hand. It was a figurine of some sort..

Sirius nearly howled in frustration; that was the last thing he wanted to see right now.

"The KNIGHT? If you are trying to make me feel better, you are failing miserably."

Remus grinned, and shook his head. Sirius was certain 'Remus logic' would follow, and he wasn't disappointed.

"If you won't tell me what went wrong, I can't help you fix it. I just asked this gentleman here, and he's assured me that he watched the entire night unfold."

The knight grinned, nodding his head in accordance.

"All right, you win. I'll tell you everything." Sirius sighed.

"Go on then, Sirius. It can't be that bad. You had everything down pat."

"I know, Rem. Everything went well, too. We even had a bit of a..moment. But he just left before we could finish. Didn't even say a single word. Maybe I'm just too bloody optimistic. Maybe there really is too much bad blood between us to ever go anywhere."

"Sirius . . . " Remus absentmindedly chewed on his bottom lip, a telltale sign he was concentrating.

"What, Remy? I know that gesture . . . "

"Well, we're putting all the focus on you here. For once, I think the problem lies with someone other than yourself. Namely, Severus.."

"It is obvious, is it not, gentlemen?"

The small, tinny voice startled both Remus and Sirius. They had momentarily forgotten about the miniature knight currently perched atop Remus left hand.

"What could you possibly know that we don't?" started Sirius, but Remus raised a hand to silence him.

"What do you mean, good sir knight?"

The knight smiled proudly at the title and gave a little bow.

"You see, sirs, you can tell a lot about a man from the way he plays chess."

He pointed a tiny finger at Sirius, who shrugged his shoulders in confusion.

"I have known young Master Black here ever since he was a child. He plays the game recklessly, only thinking about the move he's making in the terms of that moment. He makes bold moves that sometimes pay off, but more often backfire on him later in the course of play. This is why he loses most of the time."

"Hey, I'm not that bad!" Sirius whined.

"Shut it, Sirius. Let him speak." Remus hissed.

Sirius held up his hands in a gesture of defeat and motioned for the knight to continue.

"The gentleman that played so well the other night . . . "

A chorus of tiny voices in agreement echoed in the room, causing Sirius to roll his eyes dramatically.

"Severus?" Remus supplied.

"Yes, this Severus, he plays the game quite differently. That is why Sirius cannot win against him. He plans his moves, accepting small sacrifices in the name of achieving his desired outcome. Everything is calculated with him, and he thinks about the repercussions that every single move will have further down the game. In short.."

The knight paused, pondering how to phrase what he had seen in the man.

"In short, he plays like a man with everything to lose, but nothing to gain."

Sirius was getting annoyed and was unable to see what ANY of this had to do with himself and Severus. He looked up and glimpsed the expected dawning look of comprehension lighting up Remus' face. Sirius never was one for abstract concepts; if you wanted to say something, just say it already. Remus, however, lived for that sort of thing.

"If Severus didn't have any feelings for you, sexual or otherwise, he would have told you to bugger off months ago, Sirius."

"But he didn't, Remy! That's what I'm not getting-"

"I know, Siri. I think Severus was only harboring feelings of lust before, though. When you two were..ahem..doing whatever, he must've realised you felt more than that for him. And he felt the same way."

"Is that so bad? I was fine for a quick shag but nothing else?"

"Don't give me that wounded pride act, Sirius. I can't recall Severus _ever_ being in any sort of long term relationship since.."

"He started spying on that psychotic bastard." Sirius finished, mentally smacking himself.

It was so plainly obvious. A quick tumble was one thing, but actually being with someone while in Severus' position would be very dangerous to the other party. That only meant one thing..

Sirius looked down, fumbling with the frayed corners of the blanket. Remus observed his friend in silence, waiting for him to continue.

"He cares about me, Remy. Enough that he didn't want just to sleep with me or put me at risk."

"I'm sorry that it can't be, Padfoot." Remus said, misery clear in his voice.

Remus was concerned when Sirius lifted his head with a mischievous grin on his face. Bright blue eyes twinkling, the Animagus shook his head.

"You should know me better than that, Remy. No one tells Sirius Black what risks he can't take."

Sirius spent the entire day plotting to get Severus to at least listen to what he had to say. After Remus had left, he had gone through several scenarios in his head, each one more unlikely than the last. The only breaks he had was to tend to Buckbeak. Something was wrong with the hippogriff; he'd have to remember to have Harry talk to Hagrid about them later. He must have been missing some vital aspect of hippogriff care, since Buckbeak was managing to injure himself more and more as of late.

As he tended to Buckbeak's latest hurt, he was surprised to hear Severus' unmistakable voice ringing through the house, calling for him. The stoic Potions Master had a desperate edge to his voice that sent Sirius racing down the stairs.

Severus was in the kitchen, looking about the room wildly when Sirius burst in.

"What's wrong, Sev? You sound.."

Sirius let the words die on his lips as Severus grabbed him by the shoulders and gave him a terse look.

"You promise me that no matter WHAT you hear, you will stay right here."

"What are you talking about, Severus?" Sirius asked, worry evident in his voice.

"You will not leave this place, Black. Promise me."

"All right, all right. I won't leave. Happy? Now please tell me what the hell is going on."

Severus abruptly released him, and pointed to the fireplace.

"Your godson tried to contact you earlier, because the Dark Lord had led him to believe you were his prisoner."

"Earlier? I was probably upstairs with Buckbeak..gods, Severus. Is Harry Ok? Where is he?' Sirius demanded.

"Right now, in the forest with that monster know as Dolores Umbridge. He got detention for his stunt, and tried to convey to me what had him worried enough to risk contact with you. I could not speak in front of the wench, but I verified your presence here and alerted the other Order members that Harry was being lured to the Ministry."

Sirius felt sick at the implication behind Severus words. That bastard was using him to get to Harry. All over that damned prophecy.

"But I can't stay here, Severus. What if Harry gets.."

"You will stay here, Sirius. The Dark Lord obviously is aware of your connection to the boy. If you walk right into his hands, the consequences could be dire for us all."

Sirius put on his most obedient face, and nodded his agreement.

It was a good thing he'd never actually _promised_ Severus he would stay.

"I have to go back to the school before I am missed. I will be back later, Black."

"Sirius." Sirius said, with his best puppy dog eyes.

Severus let out an exasperated sigh, and folded his arms to his chest.

"Fine, _Sirius_."

"And you'll bring a bottle of wine so we can celebrate your brilliant foiling of yet another one of that maniac's plans?"

Severus opened his mouth to object, so Sirius rushed to cut him off.

"Just a few drinks, Severus. I'm not asking you to marry me, for Merlin's sake. Besides, it will give me incentive to stay put. All the good wine was destroyed by my insane house-elf. I'll be waiting for you, with two of my best glasses. I promise."

Sirius could see a faint smile tugging at the corners of Severus' mouth, and his heart leapt with excitement.

"Very well, Sirius. I shall return with a bottle of wine later."

With that, Severus turned and swept out of the room. Sirius, grinning like an idiot, bounded over to the cabinets and searched for the glasses he had in mind. He quickly found the box he was looking for. He tore through the tissue paper to reveal two wine goblets with deep scarlet stems and gold bases. Each base had the Gryffindor shield etched in, complete with a roaring lion. They had been a graduation present from James and Lily, and he had never had any reason to use them.

Until now.

Admiring the two shiny goblets in the light for a moment, he put them down on the table and regarded them thoughtfully. He grabbed his wand from the kitchen drawer and tapped one of the goblets. He watched with satisfaction as the stem morphed into an emerald green, and base changed to silver with the Slytherin shield. The snake even hissed and stuck out a forked tongue. Satisfied, he went to get ready to join the others at the Ministry. The was no way he was going to fail Harry like he had failed James and Lily. He glanced at the goblets on the table before he left, deciding at the last minute to take them with him. He didn't trust Kreacher enough to leave them behind. Smiling to himself, he charmed each with an unbreakable glass spell and added a single sentence to each as an afterthought. He stuffed them into the deep pockets of his robe and headed out the door.

**Epilogue**

It was a dark night, and the lone dark figure rapidly advancing up the street was hardly noticed. Good thing, too, since anyone who saw the figure would have sworn he disappeared somewhere between 10 and 14 Grimmauld Place.

Severus entered the Black mansion with an overwhelming mixture of sadness and anger. Why hadn't the mutt listened for once in his miserable life?

The mansion was empty; no one had wanted to return just yet. Severus knew this would be his last opportunity before he had to act like he couldn't care less about Sirius' passing.

There was no place for grief in a time of war.

He made his way up to the sitting room, clutching his finest bottle of red wine to his chest. The chessboard was still on the table, the small figurines in various stages of grief. They must have been charmed to Sirius.

Severus quietly set the bottle of wine on the table and made to escape. A small voice stopped him at the threshold of the room.

"Take the bottle with you, young Master Severus. He may have been..well, Master Sirius, but he never broke a promise in his life."

Severus whirled around to see the tiny knight furiously rubbing the minuscule tears that were falling from his metallic eyes.

Wordlessly, Severus shrunk the bottle to the size of a Knut and carefully stored it in his robe pocket.

He left the room before the knight could see the tears he had no will to stop.

Most believed you had two choices when you entered the land of the dead. Go on, or stay behind as a ghost, forever doomed to roam the earth. What they didn't realise was that there was a third, if unpopular, option.

You could go nowhere.

A spirit of a young woman had chosen just that. She watched the newcomers and the mainstays as if they were the most fascinating things in the world, twirling her gold necklace in her fingers. Unluckily, she had no other items on her person at the time of her demise, so she had to make do with the necklace and her own curiosity.

The object of her interest for the past fortnight had been a slightly greying man, clad in normal wizard attire, who did nothing but stand at the edge of the gate where the newly departed passed through. He never took his hands of his pockets, and she suspected something of great importance to him was stored there.

She finally decided to investigate, and drifted over to where he stood.

"Hello." she said, flashing him a friendly smile.

He smiled back, but made no move to respond. Something about his patient blue eyes unnerved her, but she was determined to get some answers. After all, she had nothing better to do until she could decide where to go.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's in your pockets that you treasure so much? You can take them out here, you know, they won't disappear or anything."

The man considered this for a moment, and then produced two beautiful glasses from his pockets. He handed the one of red and gold to her, and she giggled when the lion on the base growled at her. He clutched the green and silver one tightly in his hand, so she knew better than to ask to see it. Perhaps that was best, anyways. She could have sworn that one was hissing...

As she was handing the other glass back to him, she noticed words flashing in gold across it.

_Here's to a love with the cunning of a snake and the strength of a lion._

"Thank you. Those are beautiful goblets." she said, quietly.

She took the man's hand and lightly squeezed it in sympathy.

"It's hard to be separated from someone you truly love, I know. But I'm afraid I don't quite understand why you are still here, standing at the gates of the dead. This is nothing more than a brief waiting room for when you die. As soon as you make a choice, you can leave this place forever."

To her surprise, the man chuckled and resumed his watch over the portal with sadness clouding his bright eyes.

"I know. But I promised him I would be waiting with the glasses."

FIN

PS-I'm a judge over at the **Second Annual Quills Fan Fiction** contest. We still need more judges and nominations! If you're interested, please check out the information in my bio. Thanks!

**Cdk:** LOL–I'm glad you like..and there's nothing like a bit o'smut to liven up the day!

**CuriousDreamWeaver:** Thanks, I was giggling while I was writing Sirius. I felt bad for him, myself;)

**Spidermonkeydemon**: Here's the last of it; I hope you enjoy!

**Phinea Rogue**: Hello, fellow shipper. I submitted it to Thin Line because I figured I should finally contribute seeing that I live there sometimes :)

**Neurotic Squirrel**: Thanks again, I lost something in the translation from NC-17 to R. It's been re-edited.

**Mikhyel**: LOL! evil grin

**Clown Prince of Crime**: I like you username, I have to say. I appreciate your review :)

**lillinfields**: Thanks! I'm always unsure about comedic insertions when I write.


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